


"Once Again, Happy Birthday"

by cowboyhour



Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn, Falsettos - Lapine/Finn (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, M/M, One Shot, Reminiscing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:53:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27697894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cowboyhour/pseuds/cowboyhour
Summary: Marvin follows his yearly ritual of listening to a series of voicemails, each one from a previous birthday.
Relationships: Whizzer Brown/Marvin
Comments: 7
Kudos: 34





	"Once Again, Happy Birthday"

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this as a oneshot a while back.  
> It was originally for Lams so there might be some Hamilton references still sprinkled in.

Marvin opens his eyes. The morning light slips through his closed shutters, illuminating the dust in the air. He sighs. He slept in as long as he could- time to face the inevitable.

He gets out of bed.

He leaves his phone on his bedside table as he showers and gets dressed. The waters cold and he's out of shampoo but it's not like he cares.

After throwing on a pale blue shirt and plain jeans, he opens the shutters. Marvin hisses a little as the bright sun hits his eyes. God- it must be one pm at least. He rubs his eyes, regretting the existence of the sun.

Looking around his ill kept bedroom, he debates breakfast. The thought of eggs and toast makes his stomach churn. No worries, he can just down some black coffee and that'll be that. As soon that thought forms, a familiar voice rings through his head.

"Marv, you know that coffee doesn't count as breakfast"

He skips breakfast all together. He grabs his keys, wallet and phone, showing them in his back pockets. Nearly ready.

Finally, he slides open the bottom drawer of his dresser. Slowly, he takes out a tie and a hoodie like they're made of glass. The tie is ugly, to say the least. It's an obnoxious shade of orange with bright green ducks patterned across. Marvin ties it loosely around his neck.

With a deep breath, he holds the folded hoodie to his chest. He leaves the apartment, locking the door behind him. He puts in his airpods, scrolling through his voicemails.

**October 1st 2015 00:02 - Whizzer Brown**

Five years ago, where it all starts. He takes a deep breath before pressing play.

There's rustling and someone clears their throat.  
 **"Breaker breaker- testing 1 2 3. This is Whizzer Andrew Brown wishing you a happy birthday. It is currently two minutes past midnight so I hope I'm the first person to wish you a happy birthday. I'm kind of broke at the moment so I can't buy you a gift, so instead take this heartfelt voicemail- for the record, it was supposed to be a phone call but you wouldn't pick up"**

Marvin takes a deep breath. He walks down the stairs and out of his apartment into the street.

**"So let's start at the beginning. I met Marvin Borle at a bar like seven months ago- the bar was Rannells' in case you somehow forgot. He bought me a drink. Didn't say anything, just told the bartender to give me another one. I thanked him, he asked me what I was drinking and I said two pints of Sam Adams and he said 'now you're working on three'.**

**I guess when i accepted the drink I agreed to sell my soul to him because he hasn't left me alone since. I started the day with a lonely drinking habit and ended it with a best friend"**

Marvin is twenty feet from leaving the building when an apartment door opens. A hand sticks into the hallway, waving to catch his attention. He pauses the voicemail, taking out an earplug.

"Marvin! I haven't heard from you in weeks!" A girl leans against her doorframe almost accusingly.

"Sorry, Cordelia" Marvin responds. "I uh . . . I've had a busy month. Haven't been able to talk to much people"

"It's not me that misses talking to you" Cordelia teases. "Charlotte here is going crazy without you. Your weekly poker nights were the only things keeping her head on straight"

"Yeah well . . . tell her I won't be playing for another while. I'm kinda preoccupied" with that Marvin dismisses his friend and neighbour and pushes past.

He shoves his earbud back into his ear and leaves the apartment building. The early morning air is cold despite the sun. Marvin hates this kind of weather.

He presses play.

" **Anyways anyways, I've been mushy enough for one birthday. You're great man, and I'm glad you encouraged my alcoholism that night. Happy birthday Marvin Borle. Love you man"**

The voicemail ends. The first one is the shortest. Marvin turns left, walking down the cracked street.

**October 1st 2016 00:36 - Whizzer Brown**

The voice message starts with giggling, followed by distant shouting.  
" **We are veeerrrrryyy drunk right now. You're literally sitting in a puddle in the middle of the road you silly chicky chicken- MARVIN COME BACK! THAT'S NOT YOUR HOUSE! One second, I need to save my friend . . ."**

Originally, Marvin intended to go full Clay Jensen and revisit Ramos', but as he steps down the cracked pavement, he realises that it's probably closed this early. He halts with a huff. There goes his plans. He looks up and down the surprisingly empty street, shadowed by the apartment blocks either side of the road. There's no point in walking around all day.

Marvin comes to a decision- he left his house for alcohol today and boy howdy is he going to get it. He continues down the road as the voicemail continues.

" **Sorry about that- I was just saving your life no big deal"**

Marvin chuckles.

**"So- in case youre listening to this tomorrow and you have no idea why youre so hungover, let me provide context. Today- actually it's passed midnight now so technically yesterday we went to a bar to watch some baseball game. I dont remember what it was because ew sports. Because we both found it boring as sshiiittt, we turned it into a drinking game; Take a shot everytime there's a home run. Turns out the teams playing were reeealllllly good because we do be kinda shit-faced"**

Whizzer's explanation is interrupted by Marvin laughing maniacally in the background.  
 **"Wait a fuckity fucking fuckin fuck minute. It's passed midnight- it's your birthday! Marvy come here!"**

The audio becomes muffled as Whizzer hugs Marvin, practically lifting him off the ground.  
 **"Let me be the first to say happy birthday to you, Marv. Happy happy happy haaaapppppyyy birthday. You are my best friend and I love you so much. Mwah- there you go. Shit sorry I forgot that I was leaving you a voicemail. Marvin, when you listen to this in the morning as you nurse a hangover, I want you to know that I only took you to that bar because I love you. Do not blame me for your morning sickness, alright?**

**Also, it's your birthday. I love that it's your birthday and I love that I get to celebrate it with you and I love you very much, more than you'll ever know. I love you even though youre the dumbest fuck that ever lived and you're currently hugging a telephone pole because you think it's me- Marv get off thats metal its not human"**

The voicemail cuts off there; Perfect timing too. Marvin pulls out one earbud as he steps into the supermarket- the name of which he never learned in all his years of shopping there. He keeps his head down as he beelines through the aisles. The last thing he needs are judgemental stares from people for his day drinking.

He pulls out his phone, thumb hovering over the next voicemail for a moment. A smile creeps onto his face. God he probably looks like a total weirdo. He presses play and continues to the booze aisle.

**October 1st 2017 02:16 - Whizzer Brown**

" **Hey Marvin . . . I - thanks for calling me at 2am by the way I much appreciate it"** tiredness oozes from his voice like caramel. Marvin can practically see him rub the sleep from his freshly-awoken eyes. " **Sarcasm aside . . . um . . . I'm calling to talk about the voicemail you left. It was not what I was expecting, if I'm honest"**

Whizzer pauses to swallow, probably rubbing his hand across his face. Marvin can perfectly imagine him in his striped pyjamas, leaning against his ugly blue headboard. That ugly fucking headboard. Marvin takes a bottle of red wine off a shelf.

 **"I feel like I should write off what you said- you sounded very drunk. Drinking off the birthday blues I see"** Whizzer chuckles awkwardly. " **I should ignore what you said. I know that I should. But I just . . . I can't Marv. I can't pretend that you didn't just say that you love me . . ."**

Marvin steps up to a self serve checkout. He scans his singular bottle of wine as Whizzer tries to get his thoughts together.

" **Marv, if you were just drunk or if it was a spur of the moment thing, delete this voicemail. Pretend that I never called you back so we can keep going on with our lives. But if not . . . fuck it- Marvin I love you too. If you somehow haven't noticed then you're dumber than you look. I think I've loved you since you bought me those drinks in that bar. You're my best friend but fuck I would probably spend the rest of my life with you. . . . . Jesus I am so sleep deprived right now** " There's a break in the voicemail.

Despite listening to this voicemail over and over, Marvin still doesn't know what happens in this break. Is Whizzer taking a moment to gather his thoughts? Is he regretting speaking? Is he smiling as he speaks? Are his groomed brows furrowed? Marvin still doesn't know.  
Marvin can't help but smile regardless. That was the first time he heard Whizzer say "I love you"; And at that moment, he knew that he never wanted to be loved by anyone else.

 **"I'm sorry if this fucks things up Marvin"** Whizzer says quietly. **"I don't _want_ to fuck things up but I can't set you say that you love me without saying it back"**  
There's the sound of bed clothes rustling. Whizzer chuckles.  
" **This is your birthday present- me, I'm the present. Me and my love for you. The gift does come with a receipt if you want to return it but, uh, I hope you give your gift a chance. And once again, happy birthday"**

Marvin steps out of the store as the voicemail ends. He stares to the ground as he quickly walks away. If you're going to chug wine in the middle of the morning, you have to do it somewhere no one will see you. Though his itchy fingers yearn to open the wine, he distracts them by pressing play on the next voicemail. He sniffs.

**October 1st 2018 00:00 - Whizzer Brown**

" **Okay okay okay, you ready?"** Whizzer whispers. " **Alright- three, two, one- Happy birthday to youuuuuuuuu, happy birthday to youuuuuuu, happy birthday to Marviiiiiiin, happy birthday to youuuuuuuu"**

Marvin chuckles as the memory swims back to him. He and Whizzer were watching a movie on the couch (for the life of him, he can't remember the movie) when Whizzer kissed him on the temple and went to the kitchen. The moment it turned midnight, the lights turned off. Whizzer stepped into the room with a cake in his hands, rainbow candles illuminating his singing face. In his hand was his phone, recording it all on a voicemail.

Marvin can hear himself laugh over the voicemail. He can't help but crack a grin in real life.  
 **"Come on make a wish"**  
Marvin mutters something over the recording. Although it's too quiet to here, Marvin remembers what he said, clear as day. 'I wish for a blowjob everyday for the rest of my life'. Whizzer laughs as Marvin blows out the candles.  
 **"Yay! Hey, do you have anything you want to say in your birthday voicemail? . . . oh come on you should say something . . .'**  
 **"Fine! Uh . . . hi me. Enjoy being old and enjoy have such a yummy boyfriend"**  
 **"Ew that was awful never speak again. Anyways, happy birthday Marvin. Thank god that you got wasted last year and booty called me. If you didn't, then you wouldn't have the most amazing boyfriend in the whole entire world. God you look hot today- don't hit me! I'm just saying you look hot because you totally do. I'm just saying it how I see it. Come on let's eat cake"**

There's muffled talking and rustling as Whizzer goes to the kitchen for cutlery and plates. His voice lowers to a hush, " **Now that it's just you and me, future Marvin, let me just say how much I love you. Dating you for the past year has been fucking amazing. You're fucking amazing. The way you care for your friends, how stupidly competitive you are, your undying love for baseball even though you don't know how the sport works. It's all amazing. Thank you for giving me the honour of knowing you, let alone dating you. I love you so much and I hope that when I make next years voicemail, we'll still be together. Happy birthday Marv"**

But the voicemail doesn't end there. Whizzer leaves the phone on the counter as he goes back to the living room to eat cake. If you listen carefully, you can hear laughter and talking through the static. Marvin soaks up every second of it. That was the very same birthday that Whizzer gave him the ugliest gift he will ever receive- an orange tie with green ducks. He rubs it between his fingers.

Marvin makes his way down the street, pretending he doesn't know where he's going. Truth is, he knew where he would end up before he even woke up this morning. He knew that his feet would walk him to the park- the same park that he is currently entering. The leaves of the bordering trees as slowly browning, painting the world full of warm oranges. Stones crunch under his feet as each step gets heavier.

The voicemail ends as Marvin arrives at a stained wood bench. Behind it is a large, twisting tree that radiates nostalgia to Marvin. He gently sits down at the edge of the bench. He stares out at the green fields of the park opposite him. One more voicemail. Just one more. Now feels like a socially acceptable time to break open the wine. Marvin takes a long swig, pressing down the emotions that he knows will swim to the surface. He wipes his mouth clean, sniffing. Just one more.  
He presses play.

**October 1st 2019 08:17 - Whizzer Brown**

**"Hey Marv"** Whizzer sounds so excited. **"I know my voicemails are usually earlier in the morning, but now feels like the right time to call. You should be getting up for work right about now, and you won't get this call because you never charge your phone at night- even though I told you to last night but that's not the point"**

Marvin looks down at his hands as they grip the green bottle. By his feet, a single green leaf flicks by.

**"The point is, I'm getting you your birthday present right now- and i think you'll like it. In fact I think it's going to be the best present you ever receive. Just wait until tonight babe, you're gonna love it"**

Marvin looks to the left, down the path.  
 **"I'm walking through the park right now"** Whizzer says on cue. **"It's kind of cold but it is gorgeous here. I'm going to talk you on a walk here later. I'll give you your present right in front of that tree you love so much"**

He sees the tree in his peripheral vision but ignores it. Marvin just keeps looking to the left, as if Whizzer is going to walk down the path to him.

" **I'm nearly at the tree right now- hey do you know what we should do? We should carve our names in it. Make our mark. I can't believe we haven't done it already-"**

Marvin's heart stops as Whizzer pauses.  
 **"Hey! Is everything okay here?"**  
Marvin swallows, feeling emotions bubble up inside of him.  
There's a muffling noise as the phone is shoved in Whizzer's pocket. Through Whizzer's coat fabric, panicked voices can be heard.

" **Hey hey hey, let's all relax, we don't want trouble"**  
A deep voice yells at Whizzer and a woman screams.  
 **"Don't do anything you'll regret, okay? They have nothing to give you. How about I give you my wallet, and we act like nothing happened, alright?"**

There's a gunshot. Marvin jumps, his eyes scrunching closed. Tears spill out of his eyes and down his cheeks. He pulls his ear plugs out of his ears. Marvin throws his face in his hands, letting his body shake with tears.

He's thrown back to the moment he got a call at work.  
To the moment he was taken to a police station.  
To the moment he was told that his boyfriend died while getting him a birthday present.  
To the moment he was told that Whizzer stopped a couple being robbed under a tree, getting shot as a result.  
To the moment he was told that Whizzer was robbed of everything except his phone and the receipt for an engagement ring.

Marvin sits up, looking up to the sky with a tearful laugh. Tears fall from his eyes like silent rain.

Everyone else who enters this park leaves. Everyone else laughs and eats and kisses their partners. And out of everyone who enters the park, how is Whizzer the one who is forced to haunt it forever?

Marvin whiles his face, sniffing deeply. He can imagine Whizzer's hand holding onto his shoulder.

He stands from the bench, looking to it for a moment before walking down the path.  
The bench is no empty except for a gold plaque.

_Dedicated to Whizzer Brown_   
_Who bravely gave his life to save others._

**Author's Note:**

> That was sad. Hope you liked it :)


End file.
